As special counsel Robert Mueller builds his case, relatives of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn are among those pressing the president to use his unique legal power and ‘put these defendants out of their misery.’

Irish PM: Britain can’t backslide on Brexit border pledge

STRASBOURG — Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told the U.K. Wednesday it could not “backslide” on commitments on the Irish border made in the first phase of Brexit negotiations.

Speaking to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Varadkar said he will ensure that “what has been promised in theory is delivered in practice.”

“The breakthrough achieved before Christmas means that the United Kingdom has guaranteed that, whatever its future relationship with the European Union, a hard border on the island of Ireland will be avoided,” he said.

“The Common Travel Area and its associated rights will be maintained,” he said, referring to the free-movement zone covering the U.K. and Ireland.

“There can be no backsliding,” Varadkar said.

The European Council decided in December to move to Phase 2 of the Brexit talks after both sides agreed in a joint report that “in the absence of agreed solutions … the United Kingdom will maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the all-island economy and the protection of the 1998 [Good Friday] Agreement.”

At a press conference after his speech, Varadkar said he would make sure the text on Ireland is turned into “legally binding language” that would be part of the final withdrawal agreement with the U.K.

“We’re not going to ask for anything extra to be added, and nor we will be entertaining the idea that anything could be left out,” he said.

On discussions about a future trade deal between Britain and the EU, Varadkar urged the U.K to acknowledge that “it’s not possible to have all the benefits of membership of the EU without accepting that there are also obligations and responsibilities.”

Yawwwn

sgu66

Actually, what he means is that it is ok for the EU to backslide, but the UK cannot change its stance based on the EU changing theirs.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 1:23 PM CET

Just once

Nice to see two way communication. Usually brexiteers teach EU lessons.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 1:35 PM CET

Pax

Double standards, the ‘eu’ cannot be trusted.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 1:36 PM CET

chrish

‘in the absence of agreed solutions’ so if it is agreed the UK can and if it is not agreed and we get hard Brexit it doesn’t matter what the UK agreed to in the preliminary discussions as none of those agreements won’t apply anyway.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 1:37 PM CET

Steuersklave

It’s easy for the UK to commit to no hard border for Northern Ireland. No-one in the UK wants to harden the border more than is absolutely necessary. But the promise of maintaining alignment for the benefit of North-South cooperation is ultimately pretty meaningless. Agricultural produce may pass freely (i.e. without veterinary or regulatory controls at the border) but still be subjected to crippling WTO tariffs all the same. In the absence of a comprehensive free trade agreement being agreed between the EU and the UK, WTO rules state that tariffs should be levied. Indeed EU customs union rules demand the same, too. I don’t see how a live cow being sent without any delays from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland and yet being levied with a 63% tariff all the same much helps the interests of the Republic of Ireland.

Basically, it’s no use for the Irish government trying to control the destiny of a neighbouring country. Instead it try to do something radical. For the first time it should try controlling its own destiny. I can understand why the Irish politicians are terrified of such a prospect of independence. For such a policy would reveal that most of the Republic’s problems lie not with its neighbour, but with the EU (especially in terms of trade, militarisation, corporate taxation, high debt levels caused by the enforced bailout of EU banks).

Posted on 1/17/18 | 1:47 PM CET

bluebell

@Steuersklave
“For such a policy would reveal that most of the Republic’s problems lie not with its neighbour, but with the EU (especially in terms of trade, militarisation, corporate taxation, high debt levels caused by the enforced bailout of EU banks”

Bloomberg reported today that Fr. Mekel’s team are urgently preparing a policy report to address M. Macron’s ideas for closer union despite ongoing coalition talks. In particular, they are addressing the idea of a uniform corporate tax rate – does this apply only to France and Germany or will they push to include all the member states?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 1:57 PM CET

Orales

@bluebell

It must be a uniform policy across all members otherwise it isn’t closer union but promotes further apart union surely?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 2:09 PM CET

croc

But are Irish people happy about no board between UK and Ireland? there is no debate in Ireland about it, no calculations of risks and gains, its assumed no one wants to see boarder and that is that. Only last month an 18 years old asylum seeker from Syria/Egypt (?) whose application was rejected in UK walked to border town of Dundalk killing a Japanese man and wounding 2 other people, but irish media, guards are silence about it.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 2:22 PM CET

Another yawn at English losers

@Yawwwn
Very interesting, any other vacant advice for the UK?

Why can’t the UK solve her problems without the help of others????

YAAAAAWNNNN

Posted on 1/17/18 | 2:26 PM CET

Steuersklave

@ Another yawn at English losers

The UK is solving its own problems, thank you very much. Are you suggesting that the UK should also solve the Republic of Ireland’s problems, too?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 2:29 PM CET

EXPEL UK NOW !

the Brexmoaners are so so… hugely enormously…. funny.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 2:31 PM CET

Peter

Oh ok thank you for your words of wisdom Leo, we in the UK were starting to think all of phase1 was optional seeing as EU all ready trying to start again on citizens rights.
But to coin the catchphrase “Nothing is agreed until it is all agreed” as there can be no cherry picking

Posted on 1/17/18 | 2:33 PM CET

tpk

@Steuersklave

Nobody answered that until now: if UK lowers tax on solar panels, how to stop them entering EU through Ireland without hard border?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 2:35 PM CET

David

@tpk
“if UK lowers tax on solar panels, how to stop them entering EU through Ireland without hard border?”

Why are you asking us? If you think there must be a hard border so say. Tell the Irish that’s how it must be and be done with it. That’s a problem for you and the Irish not us.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 2:48 PM CET

Anthony Chambers

This is what happens when the EU starts to change things agreed in phase 1. What incentive is there to act correctly when the EU wants to change what it has already agreed too?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 2:55 PM CET

Jim

Britain can’t backslide on Brexit border pledge

Wanna bet on that?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 3:13 PM CET

sgu66

Anthony Chambers

Now you have started the debate; isn’t it the case that acting correctly just means the UK has to do whatever the EU demands otherwise it is being unreasonable and untrustworthy?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 3:14 PM CET

edel

Okay, here we are misinterpreting someone’s words; Of course UK can backslide on anything it wants, what the Irish PM meant was that it was agreed by both parties to tackle the Irish border conundrum first before moving with other points in the agenda.

There is no doubt Ireland would be the most affected country with brexit (even more than UK), so it is understandable they want to solve first their concerns in order to reassure its population and investors.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 3:17 PM CET

Lede

@edel
“Okay, here we are misinterpreting someone’s words;”

Nope.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 3:32 PM CET

Yawwwwn

@Another yawn at English losers

😉 I’m trying to sleep here, keep it down.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 3:35 PM CET

bluebell

@Orales
“It must be a uniform policy across all members otherwise it isn’t closer union but promotes further apart union surely?”

I think that is part of decision still to be made as to whether the EU member states wish for that level of integration. There will be some states for whom the potential problems to their economy from a uniform corporate tax rate would be intolerable (ROI, Luxembourg and perhaps a few others to a lesser extent)

It also raises the questions about EU rules being made to favour certain member states economies – Germany, France and these same rules making it near impossible to change the economic status quo for the Mediterranean countries.

I think the question of fairness in rule making needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency if the EU is to survive in the longer term.

How long will former Eastern Bloc countries put up with wealthy Westerners buying up farms and land in their countries forcing up the price of land which then creates vast increases in the price of land and housing for the indigenous populations?

Why must all small appliances conform to German manufacturers requirements? Is it who can afford the most/best lobbyists who hold sway. Who is thinking about the consumers in the EU – the whole reasoning for the EU was to develop choice at reasonable costs for the consumers. In reality it has stifled innovation and choice as well as pushing up costs (someone has to pay for those lobbyists and think tanks and bureaucrats).

The questions I think we Europeans need to ask are we happy with the way the elites are running things? Are they making our lives better? Are they trying to create a level playing field? Do I trust them or are they in it for themselves? Do they really understand the day-to-day difficulties of the ordinary citizen they claim to represent? Do we deserve better representation than we currently have?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 3:43 PM CET

Saintixe

Does Britain want a deal with the EU?

Does the EU want a deal with Britain?

Do the citizens be it Britain and the EU want a deal between each other?

My two cents: No to each question.

Simply here, we have a ballet dancing of people who know the answers yet do not have the courage to give my candid one.

It will take time to get London and Brussels to admit to No Deal. I wonder if the actual game is not to be the second rather than the first to admit to this fact as the RoW is looking and it looks best on the CV (UK and EU) to be the one seen as engaging with good faith in negotiations… whereas little me has no care about the Row thus I can be robustly open about where this thing is going.

By the way, back to hard borders between RoI and NI can only lead to one consequence. This said, I remember when the times were troubling and RoI was a very peaceful country where loads of EU citizens would go while ignoring superbly the Northern troubled part of the Island.
How will the IRA act on this, how the Unionists will accept said borders: who knows? Interesting times ahead.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:01 PM CET

Jack Boot

Rees Mogg would beat Leo Varadkar in a boxing match any day because Moggie is English.

Fight!

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:02 PM CET

tpk

@Anthony Chambers and @ll

I do not understand this article here in Politico about civil rights. Can anybody explain what EU wants wants different than agreed in phase 1?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:04 PM CET

tpk

@David

You agreed to be responsibel for the whole of Ireland, not just NI. And you are responsible not only for borders you built with your own hands, but also for a border which you cause indirectly.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:07 PM CET

tpk

Brexit is certainly dragging on. I’m doubting that it will ever happen to be honest. Too many hurdles and too much opposition. I just get a gut feeling that we’ll leave the EU in name only. Oh well, at least we tried.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:08 PM CET

Saintixe

@bluebell
The questions I think we Europeans need to ask are we happy with the way the elites are running things?

Questions to be answered bu EU citizens and not by Brits or Americans as it is us who are the tax payers. No representation without taxation and no say “if you do not put your money where your mouth is” sort of thing.

Are Eurocrats elites? I would not call them elites, just civil servants. Do they do a good job? An honest job will be the answer; as for to decide how they should improve: this is under my watch and the other EU27 nations citizens.

Are they making our lives better? Yes
Are they trying to create a level playing field? Yes
Do I trust them or are they in it for themselves? Yes and No to the second. Could they do better : yes.
Do they really understand the day-to-day difficulties of the ordinary citizen they claim to represent? Yes
Do we deserve better representation than we currently have? Yes: do not confuse the MEPs with the civil servants of Brussels.
Does the EP be it in Brussels and Strasbourg need a better representation and more powers: yes.
Does the Commission need to be more open? Yes
Does the Commission mean well? Yes

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:09 PM CET

sgu66

tpk

What happens when the EU changes the political agreement already in place? Does the UK still maintain full responsibility to a “partner” that goes back on its word? After all, many pro-EU commentators use the excuse that the UK cannot be trusted, but at present it is not the UK that is changing the phase 1 agreement.

It is also interesting that Tusk and Junker are now talking about the UK being welcomed back if there is a change of heart, but the rhetoric from the EU politicians is increasing in tempo, so I think Saintexe is correct in the fact that we are now at a point where it is say one thing, do another and hope the blame falls on someone else.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:13 PM CET

tpk

sgu66
“What happens when the EU changes the political agreement already in place? Does the UK still maintain full responsibility to a “partner” that goes back on its word? After all, many pro-EU commentators use the excuse that the UK cannot be trusted, but at present it is not the UK that is changing the phase 1 agreement.”

I know many say now that EU would not keep its word. I first would like to understand WHY they are saying it. The article here in Politico I found rather confusing and not helpful.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:23 PM CET

Anthony Chambers

@Saintixe: Everyone means well. Even a dictator will believe that he is doing the things he is doing for the greater good of humanity. They asked the British people if they like the EU, they said no. It was called a referendum.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:25 PM CET

Anthony Chambers

@tpk: The EU has reopened the phase 1 agreement with regard to EU citizens FoM rights. The reason I am angry about that is that it is just not on. This is the EU salami slicing approach that they are known as being experts at. Phase 1 was agreed, that was it. Personally, I want the UK to all EU workers visa’s, but I don’t want this approach where they think they can renege on agreements made.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:32 PM CET

tpk

@Saintixe

EU is a collection of people. A collection of people is by definition at least ambivalent, in case of doubt just look at you own family. Considering that I also would say that EU is doing quite well. Where in the world will it get better? Westminster? China, USA, Russia?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:32 PM CET

Anthony Chambers

@tpk: The EU has reopened the phase 1 agreement with regard to EU citizens FoM rights. The reason I am angry about that is that it is just not on. This is the EU salami slicing approach that they are known as being experts at. Phase 1 was agreed, that was it. Personally, I want the UK to offer all EU workers visa’s, but I don’t want this approach where they think they can renege on agreements already made.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:32 PM CET

Orales

@bluebell

I’ll assume they are all rhetorical questions because we all know the answer to all of them.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:36 PM CET

David

@tpk
“You agreed to be responsibel for the whole of Ireland, not just NI. And you are responsible not only for borders you built with your own hands, but also for a border which you cause indirectly.”

As did you, stop passing the buck, or more accurately using it as leverage.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:39 PM CET

tpk

@David
EU is not planning to do anything that will cause a border in NI

tpk

That much I already understood. But what are they actually saying, what do they want to change?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:47 PM CET

tpk

@Anthony

“They asked the British people if they like the EU, they said no. It was called a referendum.”

There is of course no objective image of an EU. But you perhaps admit that the picture of EU Brexiteers had in mind when they said no it is not really an accurate picture but rather a groteske. Carefully designed by certain people over decades. I would say this is what drive many Remainers nuts. They always have to deal with this completly wrong image of EU, which takes for granted in the first place that Brussels is a nest of egotistic dictators who all hate UK. Absolutely no point to discuss this.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 4:54 PM CET

tpk

@tpk
“But you perhaps admit that the picture of the EU is not really an accurate picture but rather a groteske. Carefully designed by certain people over decades. I would say this is what drive many EuroTrolls nuts. They always have to deal with this completly wrong image of EU, which takes orders from a nest of egotistic dictators who all hate UK. Absolutely no point to discuss this.”

One Brexiteer here has severe psychological problems. Pitty for the forum and for the sake of Brexit. Do you expect all here to just chant the glories of Brexit? What a boring forum that would be also for you.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:07 PM CET

Anthony Chambers

@tpk: My meaning is simple, I expect that every word of the phase 1 agreement is kept to by the EU and UK. If the EU reopens phase 1, that in my opinion means that the whole deal is broken and none of the conditions are enforceable.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:07 PM CET

tpk

@Anthony Chambers

I would also say that it would be far from helpful if EU did that. I just hope that this article in Politico is as much a misunderstanding as it is unclear.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:11 PM CET

Stan

Anthony Chambers

They aren’t law yet Anthony, if the EU wishes to revisit andy of it they can, it’ll mean everything is up for renegotiation but hey-ho. I don’t think the citizens rights is a change to Phase 1, just a discussion on what would/wouldn’t happen in the extension to the extension that hasn’t yet been agreed! That’s how I understand it but I could be completely wrong.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:15 PM CET

Stan

@tpk

The UK’s leavers view of the EU is a grotesque exaggeration as is the UK remainers view of the EU, as is the EU’s view of the UK, and the UK’s remainers view of the UK’s leavers and vice versa. So? We’re all grotesque.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:20 PM CET

tpk

Stan
Anthony Chambers

“They aren’t law yet Anthony, if the EU wishes to revisit andy of it they can, it’ll mean everything is up for renegotiation but hey-ho. I don’t think the citizens rights is a change to Phase 1, just a discussion on what would/wouldn’t happen in the extension to the extension that hasn’t yet been agreed! That’s how I understand it but I could be completely wrong.”

Transition you meant to say. But that’s probably the right way to interpret it and only the spin of the article is misleading.

In phase 1 nothing was agreed about transition anyway, or am I wrong? And from EU side it was always clear that FoM would be part of transition. Or is the fuzz about something else?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:30 PM CET

sgu66

Stan

With all due respect, I don’t agree with your view, as I personally feel it rude to call someone grotesque, especially as it can be thrown back in my face (I am quite delicate you know, and no I am not a snowflake!). 😉

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:33 PM CET

tpk

@Stan

“The UK’s leavers view of the EU is a grotesque exaggeration as is the UK remainers view of the EU, as is the EU’s view of the UK, and the UK’s remainers view of the UK’s leavers and vice versa. So? We’re all grotesque.”

Yep, I agree. We are all fighting here about the truthfullness of our pictures we’ve made of the world.

Knowing that I’d like to remark (very carefully!) that the picture Remainers have of EU generally should tend to be a bit more accurate. Most Remainers know that EU is black, white and has a lot of gray due to all the compromises. And it certainly is not heaven. For many Brexiteers EU is pitch black and that’s it.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:39 PM CET

Priscilla da Leprechaun

EXPEL BRITAIN NOW !!

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:47 PM CET

Stan

@tpk
Whichever group a person is in they tend to think all the others see things in black and white and only they have a reasonable view. It’s because we generally speak about things that bother us with those in the other groups so appear to be more polarised than we actually are.

We really are all grotesque exaggerations of our more thoughtful selves when confronted and challenged especially when afforded the anonymity of the Internet… except @sgu66 of course. 🙂

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:51 PM CET

Blue Stilton

Please do remind me. Who was pushing for the hard border?

Posted on 1/17/18 | 5:54 PM CET

tpk

@Stan

Intersting points!

Posted on 1/17/18 | 6:19 PM CET

Stan

tpk

I have my moments. Now give me back my £350M a day and stick yer pink passport where the sun doesn’t shine. 😀

Posted on 1/17/18 | 6:32 PM CET

Stan

@tpk
“Transition you meant to say. But that’s probably the right way to interpret it and only the spin of the article is misleading.”

I actually didn’t. You can’t agree a transition without an agreed change of state to transition into, we can have an extension to various things. Semantics I suppose but I like to call things what they are when I can recognise them.

Posted on 1/17/18 | 11:27 PM CET

Paul Webster

If the EU puts a border between north and south Ireland, it will not be Brussels the IRA bomb, it will be London and Manchester.

Posted on 1/18/18 | 12:56 AM CET

Dookie

Paul Webster

Meh, same old same old.

Posted on 1/18/18 | 1:03 AM CET

wow

Posted on 1/18/18 | 1:27 AM CET

Steuersklave

@ Paul Webster

You’re a comedian. What would the aim be of such an IRA terrorist campaign? Would the IRA be demanding that the British government erect a hard border to match that imposed by the EU?

Posted on 1/18/18 | 1:38 AM CET

Denver

I married into an IRA family. i.e I married an Irish girl.

Posted on 1/18/18 | 11:51 AM CET

Catesby

Varadkar is being duplicitous. The UK has alwasy said that it will maintain the common travel are, it is the EU that is pushing for a change to the border, and only for their own political purposes not for the benefit of the Irish, north or south.